We provide various level-specific training programs to learn management, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills that are essential for improving performance and are required at each level of the organization.

The Group’s business partners are spread around the world, with overseas sales now accounting for approximately 80% of consolidated sales. Competency in a foreign language is therefore an essential skill for smooth operations. Therefore, the company offers the following kinds of training:

To discover and develop human resources capable of utilizing AI and to improve the overall level of AI in the Company, we offer the AI training listed below. A new generative AI literacy course (e-learning) has also been incorporated into the curriculum. In FY2025, 669 employees participated, and in the five years since FY2021, a total of 1663 employees have participated.

We offer the training described below with the goals of developing personnel capable of utilizing machine learning for material exploration and shortening R&D time. In FY2025, 99 employees participated, and in the five years since FY2021, a total of 269 employees have participated.

In 1962, Shin-Etsu Chemical established a system for sending employees to universities as auditing students with the goal of improving on-site capabilities at each workplace. Under the system, up to about ten operators each year are chosen from the Group’s plant manufacturing sites and sent to study at universities for one year. The program is similar to a study abroad program, except that the students stay in Japan. During the training period, students not only learn specialized knowledge by auditing university classes, but also network with people from other businesses, plants, and corporate divisions that they otherwise may not have much contact within their daily work, which is also important. In the 64 years since the system was introduced, a total of 562 employees have completed the program, and many of the graduates go on to play key roles in their workplaces.

We believe that creating a workplace where each employee can confidently demonstrate their abilities and continue to take on challenges is the foundation for improving productivity. We therefore regularly conduct surveys of all employees as a way to continuously monitor the state of the organization, detect issues early, and drive improvements.

The survey results are not just compiled; we also conduct organizational analysis and factor analysis at the per-worksite and per-organization level, and examine conditions related to engagement and inclusion from multiple perspectives, including job satisfaction, organizational cohesion, relationships with supervisors and colleagues, and ease of working. The issues identified through this analysis are then translated into policies tailored to actual workplace conditions, leading to revisions of operations and systems.

Furthermore, improvements are not limited to company-led, one-way measures; we emphasize sharing an understanding of the challenges within each worksite and proceeding with initiatives from a perspective close to the front lines. Each workplace takes the lead in considering and implementing improvement measures, confirming their effectiveness, and driving continuous improvement through a bottom-up PDCA cycle. Going forward, we will continue to create an environment where employees can demonstrate their abilities through such mechanisms, leading to further improvements in productivity.

Shin-Etsu Chemical maintains a performance-based personnel evaluation system because we believe that increased employee motivation, stemming from taking on challenging goals and having those achievements and attitudes reflected in compensation, leads to increased productivity. Employees set ambitious work goals and improvement targets at the beginning of each fiscal year, and are then encouraged to grow by challenging themselves to achieve these goals. Managers give advice and coaching to help their subordinates achieve their goals. At the end of the fiscal year, employees are evaluated on the degree to which they have achieved their goals. At the same time, employees' abilities, potential for growth, and attitude toward their work are taken into consideration to motivate employees and encourage them to grow. Furthermore, to ensure fair and highly transparent evaluations, we are working to improve the perceived fairness of evaluations by conducting evaluator training, communicating evaluation criteria, and holding meetings between supervisors and subordinates using Communication Sheets.

On the other hand, based on our initiatives to monitor the state of the organization, we recognize that one of our future challenges is the need for further improvement and enhancement regarding the perceived fairness of personnel evaluations. The perceived fairness of evaluations is an important factor that affects employees' motivation and willingness to take on challenges, and in turn, the vitality of the organization, and as a result, is also related to productivity.

Shin-Etsu Chemical is therefore in discussions with its labor unions on revision of the personnel evaluation system to further enhance its reliability and fairness with the goal of making the evaluation process and judgments easier for employees to understand and accept. Specifically, we will enhance trust in evaluations by clarifying and disseminating evaluation criteria, improving the quality of communication between superiors and subordinates, enriching feedback, and reducing inconsistencies in implementation.
Through these initiatives, we aim to enhance employees' sense of growth and motivation to take on challenges, thereby unleashing organizational vitality and leading to further improvements in productivity.